Henchman 21
Henchman 21 (real name Gary) is a henchman of The Monarch and a recurring character in the series. History Life Prior to becoming a Henchman Henchman 21, whose first name is Gary, was originally a stereotypical nerd who enjoyed comics and fantasy/sci-fi genres until he joined The Monarch and the fluttering horde. Gary originally joined The Monarch when he was kidnapped, for reasons unknown, by his minions during a eighth grade field trip to Washington D.C. Life as a Henchman Despite his tragic history, 21 would come to enjoy the lifestyle and rise through the ranks becoming Henchman 21 and would later become friends with fellow henchman, Henchman 24. During the first three seasons, he and 24 serve as a comic relief for the show; usually having arguments about a number of topics like their jobs, movies, nerd culture or any sexual experiences each might have had. In the finale of season 3 the two sneak into the Monarch Mobile to hide from the ensuing chaos around them. H.E.L.P.E.R takes the car and 24 (who is trapped in the car by his seat belt) is killed in a sudden explosion with his head landing in 21's hands and resulting in 21's emotional breakdown. General 21 In the fourth season, 21 has undergone an intense training regimen to allow him to safeguard the lives of his fellow henchmen. He does this for them as he couldn't do it for Henchman 24 and is held in high regard by his fellows. He also gets a tattoo across his abdomen reading "Hench 4 Life." Gary quickly turns the Monarch's men into a professional group of killers and becomes something of a commander to them. They both fear and respect him, with the henchmen calling him "General 21" or "Two-ton 21". His new strength has led to him being well known in the villain's community for his dangerousness. In Pinstripes & Poltergeists , Henchman 21 challenges Brock Samson to a fist fight which shows his training has paid off. Even though Brock beats him, Samson had to admit that Gary has progressed well and even goes as far to show a bit of pride in fact that this dramatic transformation was inspired, in part, by him. The relationship between the two is explored more in Season 5 where Brock is seen taking a degree of responsibility for Gary. Though Gary has become something of a #1 or # 2 in the ranks of the Monarch's organization he refuses to change his number keeping it the same throughout his tenure. Whenever he is alone 21 talks to the skull of 24 which has decomposed which landed in his arms after the explosion at the end of season 3. He talks to it throughout the fourth season and it would later be revealed that he is speaking to the spirit (or so he believes) of his dead friend. Throughout the season he would talk to 24, sometimes during conversations with The Monarch and/or Dr. Girlfriend, while searching for the person who was behind his friend's death. He even went as far as making a kill list of possible suspects. He has also developed a good relationship with his boss, The Monarch, who has made him his bodyguard and sees 21 as a completely infallible super-soldier (even after 21's eventual departure from his crew). He also harbors some kind of infatuation with the monarch's wife, Dr. Girlfriend aka Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, and would confess his feelings to her before openly kissing her on top of the monarch's unconscious body (originally as part of diversion from The Monarch's use of technology black-listed by The Guild of Calamitous Intent of which the Monarch is now a member). In Operation P.R.O.M. he goes over to the Venture Compound to bury 24's skull as 24's ghost had begun to pop up at inconvenient times such as when 21 is masturbating. While seeking closure, 21 is shot in the chest by Sergeant Hatred while he's trying to one-up Shore Leave's marksmanship. The S.P.H.I.N.X agent took the unconscious henchman back to Headquarters. 21 awakens in unfamiliar surroundings but is impressed by what he sees. After finding out it was S.P.H.I.N.X that captured Monstroso, Shore Leave tells him they plan on wiping his memory but this is soon changed when a group of Monstroso henchmen arrive at the compound. Undermanned, Shore Leave invites 21 to join them on their skirmish. Upon defeating the henchmen, 21 thinks he's found his true calling and begins to ignore 24 in lieu of attending the prom instead. He later finds out that 24's ghost isn't real as one of the ghosts 24 was with turns out to be alive and a friend of Jefferson Twilight. Upon the realization that he has truly lost his friend altogether, 21 breaks down. 21 later tells his bosses he quits and admits his feelings toward Dr. Girlfriend and that he kissed her on top of the Monarch. This doesn't bother The Monarch as it turns out that most super-villains are swingers. This revelation causes 21 to lose it and prompts him to curse them out before storming off to join S.P.H.I.N.X. as he believes he'll make a better hero than a villain. S.P.H.I.N.X. In the From the Ladle to the Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy special Gary (21) is shown with his face blurred out wearing a Sphinx outfit and using the name Viceroy. In What Color is Your Cleansuit? Gary is awakened in Sphinx headquarters by Col. Hunter Gathers (currently commanding the O.S.I) who questions him as to who he was, why he was in the Sphinx uniform, and the location of Brock and Shore Leave. Hunter later takes the Sphinx staff to return to their old positions at the O.S.I. Gary asks Brock if he can join the O.S.I., and when Brock turns him down he asks "What about Sphinx?" to which Brock replies "it was all his as the rent's paid up for the rest of the year". Gary views this as a new opportunity to live his new dream of being a "good guy" and takes up the mantle of Sphinx Commander. Gary soon tries to recreate sphinx and started recruiting however, a few of the original agents return and take over planning to destroy the OSI but they are thwarted by Brock and Shore Leave. Hunter Gathers later destroys the Sphinx pyramid while at the same time Sergeant Hatred destroys Sphinx Headquarters leaving Gary the only thing remaining of Sphinx. Return to the Monarch Gary later takes to camping on the grounds of the Venture Compound and would later help Sergeant Hatred who had learned of Dr. Venture being captured by the Monarch after crashing a villains party. The two infiltrate the Cocoon while there the two slowly see they possess some similarities and bond when Gary saves Hatred from being discovered by Monarch henchman. Gary is soon confronted by Tim-Tom and reveals he knows it was him and Kevin who were responsible for the death of his best friend Henchman 24. He then incites the other henchmen by revealing that Tim-Tom and Kevin were the ones who killed henchman 24 which leads to the henchmen turning against the pupae twins. 21 later meets with Dr. Girlfriend and The Monarch and returns to work for them just as Sergeant Hatred destroys the Cocoon which while falling destroys part of the mansion. Gary along with the Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend survive the explosion with Gary remarking "That sucked". Now the sole remaining henchman of the Monarch Gary along with the couple move into the Monarch's old family home. While there Dr. Girlfriend goes to her first meeting as a council of 13 while Gary and the Monarch try to find food which they soon do. Gary is shocked when the Monarch spots a knife that Phantom Limb would have the same taste for deducing he was living there. Gary tries to convince the Monarch to leave the house just in case Phantom Limb returns but the Monarch finds the plans for the Gargantua space station stating Phantom Limb had went there and he plans to capture him for a rank in the council. Gary joins the Monarch in trying to reach the station and the pair stop by the Venture Compound where they steal a rocket and travel to space just as the compound goes up in flames courtesy of the monarch using gasoline to burn it down. As they travel through space, the two pass the time by playing a guessing game which is soon ended when a escape pod carrying Dr. Girlfriend along with Watch and Ward crash into them and transport them to Meteor Majeure. Once aboard the station, they watch as Dr. Henry Killinger kills the last of the Investors and welcomes them. The assembled group are soon joined by Phantom Limb and Radical Left as Killinger announces his plans of rebuilding the Council of 13 with everyone present as members. Personality A pop-culture geek, 21 was kidnapped from a school trip to Washington at the age of 15 and was forced to join the "Fluttering Horde". Despite this he has grown to genuinely like his life as a henchman. He was often seen associating with his fellow henchman and best friend 24 talking about random things. 21 was very devastated at his friend's death and soon went out on journey to better himself. At the start of Season 3, he has become more brave and efficient which allowed him to lead the other henchmen as well as earning him the respect from henchmen and enemies. During Season 4, however, 21 started to have serious doubts about how his life had ultimately turned out. Relationships With Other Characters Hank Venture As the series progressed, 21 started to develop a degree of friendship with Hank. Often showing concern for the boy's well being he sometimes mentored him to have a better life than he himself has. Henchman 24 21 and 24 have been best friends since the start of the series. They often argue about trivial things, like whether or not Smurfs are mammals. In the episode The Family That Slays Together Stays Together Part 2, 24 dies in an explosion. 21 begins carrying his skull around and talking to it. It is revealed in Pinstripes and Poltergeists that 24 is actually a ghost who haunts 21, and is, at least partially, responsible for turning 21 into the leader of the henchmen. However the presence of 24's ghost has also led to Gary constantly announcing "I'm crazy." In Operation P.R.O.M. he attempts to bury 24's skull so that his ghost will leave. 24's ghost eventually does leave which causes 21 to break down crying. The Monarch In seasons 1-3, both 21 and 24 were known as the Monarch's best men, much to his displeasure. After 24's death, for most of season 4, 21 served as the Monarch's right hand man, until he quits in Operation P.R.O.M. Despite 21 saying he quits, the Monarch still thinks 21 is loyal to him and believes 21 is on some kind of undercover mission in the Venture compound. 21 later returns to work for the Monarch and becomes their sole henchman after the Cocoon along with a majority of the henchman are destroyed. It is also shown despite Gary closely working with The Monarch the latter never knew his first name asking who "Gary" was after the Cocoon's destruction. In season 6 after the destruction of the Cocoon and their moving into the Monarch's family mansion the Monarch and 21 are shown to have become closer, this is shown by them playing games together such as 20 questions and uno. It also seems that the Monarch has come to view 21 more as an equal rather than a subordinate, even apologizing to him after an angry outburst in ''Faking Miracles ''a courtesy which in the past he has claimed that a villain should never give their henchmen. Dr. Girlfriend In Tears of a Sea Cow it is revealed that Gary has a crush on her. 24's ghost teases him about this until the episode Assisted Suicide when he finally reveals how he feels. However, in the episode Operation P.R.O.M. she says that this actually meant nothing to her because she and the Monarch "are swingers". It is unknown if 21 still has feelings for her now that he has returned to work for her and her husband. The Pupae Twins 21 resented the Pupae Twins for their bossiness and was very scared of the Pupae Twins especially after the two nearly killed 24. After undergoing training, 21 has even earned their respect and started working closely with them and unknown to 21 it was they who crossed the names of people who thought were responsible for 24's death. In the The Devil's Grip, 21 reveals he knows it was them who were actually responsible for 24's death and overthrows them by inciting the other henchmen into a riot. Brock Samson 21 considered Brock his rival (which was one sided on his part). Brock, however, considered 21 to be nothing but a pest. When the two first met, 21 tried to fight Brock with a fake light saber and ended up running away in fear from the bodyguard, who simply said "Boo". Throughout the show's first three seasons, whenever they would meet, 21 would always cower in fear of Brock and would anticipate the deaths of his fellow henchmen, calling it "Death by Samson". In season four, after going under intense training, 21 confronts Brock once again and Brock tries to scare him off once again. Only this time, 21 knocked him to the ground and the two entered a heated brawl. Even though 21 was able to hold his own, Brock was still victorious. After their fight, Brock complimented 21 on his newfound strength and aided him in taking down Monstroso. This act symbolized that Brock had come to respect 21 and the two, despite being enemies, could work together. Sergeant Hatred 21 and Hatred developed a brief friendship when they attempted to infiltrate the Monarch's cocoon. However, Hatred quickly became convinced 21 was trying to betray him and ended up destroying the cocoon with his hover tank. This hostility continued as in Hostile Makeover, Hatred hit Gary in the face with a gun claiming he had been waiting to do so for a week. Episode Appearances *Home Insecurity *Are You There God, It's Me, Dean *Tag-Sale, You're It! *Trial of the Monarch *Return to Spider-Skull Island *Powerless in the Face of Death *Hate Floats *Victor. Echo. November. *Fallen Arches *I Know Why the Caged Bird Kills *Showdown at Cremation Creek Part I *Showdown at Cremation Creek Part II *Shadowman 9: In the Cradle of Destiny *Home is Where the Hate is *Tears of a Sea Cow *The Lepidopterists *The Family That Slays, Stays Together Part I *The Family That Slays, Stays Together Part II *Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel *Handsome Ransom *Return to Malice *Self-Medication * Pinstripes and poltergeists *The Diving Bell vs. the Butter Glider *Every Which Way But Zeus *Assisted Suicide *Operation P.R.O.M. *From the Ladle to the Grave: The Story of Shallow Gravy *What Color is Your Cleansuit? *SPHINX Rising *Momma's Boys *The Devil's Grip *All This and Gargantua-2 *Hostile Makeover *Maybe No Go Christmas Songs *Hard Candy Christmas *Venture Aid 2006 *Wonderful Christmas Time *The Chipmunk Song *Fan Club Christmas Album 2010 Gallery Picture2-44.png|21 as a child, 300px-21civ.jpg|21 out of uniform. File:Henchman_21.jpg| Henchman 21 shot042423.jpg|General 21 Screen shot 2010-12-03 at 7.56.11 PM.png|Sphinx Commander Screen shot 2010-12-03 at 8.13.35 PM.png shot0846.jpg|Meditating shot05464.jpg|"Training" BBP09101CClg.jpg|Henchman 21 Action Figure Category:Characters Category:Villians Category:Voiced By Doc Hammer Category:Male Characters